Snow removing apparatus



Oct. 24-, 1944' co 2,360,827

SNOW REMOVING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 13, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 1711021110? I I n 14 R.E.Ca]e

Oct; 24, 1944. R. E. COLE 2,350,827

snow .REMOVING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 13, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 24, 1944 SNOW REMOVING APPARATUS Robert E. 001e, Highland Creek, Ontario, Canada Application August 13, 1942, Serial No. 454,651 In Canada April 1 3, 1942 Claims.

This invention relates to snow removing apparatus of the type in which means are provided for gathering the snow and feeding it to a blower, either for distribution over a wide area at the side of the road or into a suitable collecting vehicle.

Y Theobject of the present invention is to devise certain improvements in the method of and means for feeding the snow into the blower, and also in the method of mounting the snow removing means upon a, truck or tractor.

I attain my object by means of the constructions hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, illustrating the snow removing apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the same;

Fig. 3 a plan view, partly broken modified arrangement;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the method of drive;

away, of a Fig. 4a a similar view showing an alternative arrangement; 7

Fig. 5 a horizontal section illustrating the form of apparatus shown in Fig. 3, but with a modified form of feeding means; and i Fig. 6 a front view of the feeding means shown in Fig. 5.

In the drawing like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, the numeral l indicates a pair of blower or ejector housings arranged back to back with their discharge outlets 2 arranged close together and merging into a common discharge outlet 3.

Extending transversely of each housing, but longitudinally of the apparatus as a whole, is a shaft 4 on which shaft is mounted the fan 5. The inlet for the blower or ejector housing is provided in the forward side and the fan shaft extends a distance beyond this inlet and on this extending portion is mounted a conveyor 6, which is shown as being of the spiral type, but which may be of the separate spade type.

It will be noted from the drawings that each fan or rotary ejector member includes a, central drum 1 and a back disk 8 to which the individual fan blades 9 are secured. A guide In, shaped as a truncated cone, is preferably mounted at the rear of the conveyor 6 and in front of the drum 1 to guide snow into the housing in the path of the blades.

The conveyors are preferably enclosed in a scoop or housing II, the side, top and bottom Walls of which are inclined inwardly to guide snow towards the blower housing inlet I 2, and between the two conveyors there is a V-shaped divider [3 for the same purpose.

For the purpose of agitating the snow adjacent the wall of the scoop or guide housing I I, and also assisting to move the snow'rearwardly towards the blower, inclined conveyor spades M are mounted on the'conveyor intermediate the turns of the conveyor blade 6, which spades are of graduated length, the longer blades being positioned nearer the open front of the housing. On the forward end of the shaft 4 is a pair of cutter blades I5. V

A guard is preferably provided across the mouth of the housing or scoop II, which comprises one or more cross bars I6 and one or more vertical bars [1, which guard is preferably utilized to carry a bearing for the forward end of the blower shaft 4. The blower shafts 4 are provided with suitable gears or pulleys for drive purposes; the arrangement of the drive being indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 4.

45 is the drive shaft driven from any suitable power device, and having a gear 46 thereon which drives a sprocket chain 41 which passes over a gear 48 on each of the shafts 4. In order that the fans may rotate in opposite directions as indicated by arrows in Fig. 1, an idler gear 49 is provided over which the chain 41 passes.

As stated above, the outlets 2 merge into a common outlet 3, and this outlet 3 is provided with a swinging hood l8 pivoted intermediate the sides of the outlet so that it-may be moved to direct snow to either side as desired. A guard I9 is also preferably provided to direct hard pieces of ice or stones downwardly towards the ground at the side of the apparatus, while permitting fine snow to pass through the openings of the guard- In Fig. 3 a modified arrangement of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is shown. In this form the blower is mounted on a tubular shaft I which is rotatably mounted on the main shaft 4 on which latter the conveyor is mounted. Each of the shafts 4* and l will be separately driven, but the drive arrangement of each set of gears will be similar to that shown in Fig. 4. The advantage of this arrangement is that the blower may be driven at a more rapid rate than the conveyor, thus preventing any danger of choking of the blower in the case of working in Very deep snow.

As stated above, the spiral conveyor 6 may be dispensed with and spades or propellers only used. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig, 5. As

will be seen from Fig. 6, these spades are detachably mounted by screws 5| on a central hub 49 rotatable with the drive shaft 4, each spade or blade being provided with a securing flange 52 to receive said screws 5|. It will be noted from Fig. 5 that the sets of spades 50 are graduated in size decreasing in length from the inlet of the scoop ll to the inlet of the blower in correspondence with the flare of the space between the wall I I and divder I3.

In Fig. l a modified arrangement of drive is shown in that the drive shaft 45 from the engine is located above and intermediate the blower shafts 4, and the idler 49 is located adjacent the opposite side of the casing I to the idler 49.

While in the drawings I show a pair of blowers with feeding means arranged side by side 7 in the same unit, it will be evident that for cleaning sidewalks or other narrow spaces a single blower with appropriate feeding means may be employed. 7

i It will be evident, of course, that where I show sprocket gears and chains for driving various parts, any other suitable arrangement of vdrive may be substituted, such as shafts and gears, or endless beltsand Pulley 7 What I claim as myinventionis:

n .snow-rem vin app r s, a l w r housing having a peripheral outlet and an inlet openns in o e si e; afan rotatable in sa d ousin omprisi g a s a t, a d um conc ntric with th h f nd b a es ex e din outwardly from said drum, said fan having its shaft extending bey n t e b we h u conveyor means on said haft x n on ada t d o eed now into the I Wfi m i n et; a d a truncated coneshaped guide between said fan drum and cone er eans .2- I s o em vin app u a b ower house ing having a peripheral outlet and an inlet opening in one side; a fan rotatable in said housing comprising a shaft, ,adrurn concentric with the s a t an bl de e tend n .O tward y f m i d um. d e hav ng its s aft. extendi ben the blow r ousing; conveyor means .on s id haf ex s on ad ted to feed n w nto the blowe us n n et; a truncate cone-shape guide between said fan drums and conveyor means; and an open-fronted casing enclosing said conveyor means.

3. In snow-removing apparatus, a blower housing having a peripheral outlet and an inlet opening in one side; a fan rotatable in said housin comprising a shaft, a drum concentric with the shaft and blades extending outwardl from said drum, said fan having its shaft extending beyond the blower housing; conveyor means on said shaft extension adapted to feed snow into the blower housing inlet; a truncated coneshaped guide between said fan drum and conveyor means; an open-fronted casing enclosing said conveyor means; and means for supporting the forward end of the blower shaft from said open fronted casing.

4. In a snow-removing apparatus, a blower housing having a peripheral outlet and an inlet opening in one side; a fan rotatable in said housing comprising a shaft, a drum concentric with the shaft and blades extending outwardly from said drum, a disk rotatable with the blades and forming an end wall for the spaces between said blades at the side remote from the inlet opening, said fan having its shaft extending beyond the blower housing; conveyor means ,on saidshaft extension adapted to feed snow into the blower housing inlet; and a truncated cone-shaped guide between said fan drum and convey ans.

5. In snoweremoving apparatus, a blower house ing having a peripheral outlet and aninlet .opening in one side; a fan rotatable in saidhousin comprising a shaft, a drum concentric with the shaft and blades extending outwardly from said drum, said fan having .its shaft extending :beyond the blower housing; conveyor-means on said shaft extension adapted to feed .snow into the blower housing inlet; a truncated cone-shaped guide between said fan drum vand conveyor means; an open fronted casing enclosing ,said conveyor means, and a member extending across the mouth of said casing for supporting 'thefonward end of the blower shaft,,said memberbeing V-shaped in cross-section with the apex of the V directed outwardly.

ROBERT E. COLE. 

